Crack in the Surface
by WhatsAGun
Summary: Arthur is an average man, living an average life with his 'average' friends: Feliciano and Elizabeta. One night, he was dragged to a concert for the famous band: Overnight Unite. By Arthur's supreme luck, he unwillingly gets to meet the band. Friends will be made, love will blossom, hearts will be broken, and we shall all laugh at it. Rated T for language.
1. Chapter 1: I always get what I want

~...~

"Thank you guys!" a loud German voice rang out in the arena. Loud cheering covering the sound. "Have an awesome night!" The lights on the stage dimmed, signalling the audience members to leave. Slowly, the crowd started filing out, leaving only stubborn fans to be escorted out.

On stage, the band members are gathering their instruments to go home. A group of volunteers are picking up the necessities and placing them in a u-haul. The band members remained onstage as the volunteers started picking up the amplifiers and electrical cords.

"Let's go home, Al," the same German voice that spoke earlier suggested. A caramel blonde looked up from his empty water-bottle towards the man.

"I'm gonna go help the dudes with the equipment," the blonde stood up from chair, walking towards the u-haul where their manager, Ludwig - who also is their drummer - is. He turned around last second, looking at his band-mates with his eyebrows raised. "Guys, you gonna help?"

"I'm too awesome for manual labor!" the German said proudly.

"I am going to go sign signatures," a Frenchman said while walking off the stage, towards the exit.

"I'm going to go with Francis, sorry Al," a soft-spoken man said.

"Gomen, Alfred-san. I must go help Yao-san with some things," a Japanese spoke up, bowing slightly before walking out the back of the arena.

"I need to help the people with the drum set!" a Finnish man stated cheerfully.

Alfred sighed to himself. He left the arena and walked up to Ludwig. "Hey, drum-master!"

Ludwig gave an aggravated sigh, looking at Alfred from the corner of his eye. "I would enjoy if you would stop calling me that." He walked behind the u-haul, checking if everything is secure. "We finished already, Alfred."

The American pouted, realizing that his help was not needed. He sat down roughly on the steps, closing his eyes.

"Tired?" Ludwig asked. Alfred hummed in response. "When aren't you tired?"

"When I eat hamburgers!" the American stated cheerfully. Ludwig rolled his eyes, attention back to the equipment in the u-haul. The silence lasted until there was a muffled yell.

"Give me back my wallet, wankers!"

~...~

"Why did you make me come here?" Arthur asked. His voice muffled by mass of bodies that surrounded him. The girl beside him - Elizabeta - looked at him curiously.

"I thought you would enjoy yourself!" she stated sternly, a deep frown on her features.

"You know how much I hate American music!" the Englishman yelled over the screaming of fans that were practically humping each other at this moment. Elizabeta rolled her eyes in frustration.

"If you hate America so much, why'd you move here?" She froze after she asked the question.

"...We've been over this already," the man said sternly, glaring at her. With a huff, he looked away from her, sternly looking at the stage. The girl started to panic.

"Arthur," she said softly, but loud enough over the sound of the concert. "Arthur, I'm sorry," she lightly touched Arthur's shoulder in a comforting way. Arthur sighed, looking back at his friend with a grim face.

"It's fine." One of the band members said goodnight on stage, the lights turned off immediately after. Arthur glanced at the dark stage and back at Elizabeta. "So what now?"

Elizabeta led Arthur away from the crowd to a place less populated. There, they met up with a red-haired man with a curl off to the side.

"Ciao!" the man greeted cheerfully.

"Hey, Feliciano! We are going to go get an autograph!" the girls exclaimed at the same level of joy.

"Well, you two can go do that. I'm going to go home." Arthur started walking towards the crowded exit. When he took two steps away, he felt a hand in his back pocket removing his wallet. He swiftly turned around to the two friends. Both of them were giggling, trying to control their laughter. "Give me back my wallet!" He took a step towards them, making both people take a step back.

"You have to catch us to get it back~!" Elizabeta taunted. She grabbed Feliciano's hand before darting off towards the side exit that no one took. Arthur followed them out the door.

"Give me back my wallet, wankers!"

~...~

Ludwig and Alfred looked at each other. Both of their eyebrows raised in silent question. Alfred stood up from his spot on the stairs, looking down the alleyway towards the sound.

"Ah! Arthur's going to get me!" a panicked voice yelled.

"Keep running, Feli!" a female voice yelled breathlessly. "He's catching up!"

"Uwah!" the footsteps got quicker and closer towards the two confused men.

"When I get my hands on you!" an annoyed voice seethed from further away.

"You'll never catch-" a soft thump could be heard. Ludwig and Alfred looked at each other, shrugged and looked back towards the sound. "What was that for?"

"That's for taking my wallet and making me run!"

"You were on the track team in high school. It isn't so bad for you!" There was a loud sigh and footstep that got further away. Suddenly the footsteps stopped, leaving both Alfred and Ludwig questioning.

"Get out of my way," the English voice commanded. The night was silent for a moment. "...Hey! No! Where'd you get that?!"

"Give back Elizabeta's happy place..." Fast paced footsteps got closer to the two band members.

"Get him, Liz!" a cheerful voice encouraged. "Just don't hurt him!"

Both musicians could hear a faint 'No promises' from the girl voice. The footsteps kept getting louder until a dark figure rounded the corner into the alley. Not having quick enough reflexes caused both Alfred and the Englishman to collide with each other, falling to the ground with Arthur straddling the American's lap. The footsteps of the followers stopped upon seeing the scene in front of them. Slowly, Arthur lifted his upper body off the American. He looked over his shoulder towards Elizabeta with a frying-pan in one hand, the other hand with a phone looking like she was taking a picture.

"Liz!" Arthur yelled at her, glaring dangerously at her. She jumped, almost dropping her phone. She smiled sheepishly at Arthur, placing her phone back in her pocket. Arthur looked down at Alfred, glaring less fiercely. The American placed a hand behind his head, rubbing it gently.

"You okay, dude?" the American asked. The Englishman raised an eyebrow.

"I should be asking you that." Arthur stood up from lying on top of Alfred. He straightened his clothes and offered Alfred a hand. He grabbed it, surprised at Arthur's strength. "Sorry about that. I blame this whole incident on my two 'friends'." The two in the background grinned proudly, not at all embarrassed. Arthur rolled his eyes and looked at Elizabeta. "Was that really necessary?"

Elizabeta nodded vigorously, a big smile on her face. Arthur sighed deeply, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I'm heading home," Arthur stated bluntly. He turned around and started walking down the alleyway, only to be stopped by Elizabeta.

"Arthur, come on. We'll let you get drunk after this." Both Feliciano and Elizabeta had pleading looks on their faces. Arthur glanced back and forth between the two, gaze finally landing on the two band members. One of them, a tough looking man, had an emotionless stare. The other man, who seemed very childish, was trying to contain his laughter. Little clips of giggles emitted from the man, causing Arthur to raise one of his eyebrows. Alfred's eyes grew in size before he fell to his knees laughing almost uncontrollably.

"Your eyebrows, dude!" Alfred yelled between gasps of breath. In the background, a few girly giggles could be heard. Arthur swiftly changed his attention to Elizabeta.

"What are you laughing at?" Elizabeta innocently smiled at Arthur. Sighing to himself, he looked back at Alfred. "Will you stop laughing, you git?" After a few more agonizing seconds of laughter, Alfred calmed down to just small chuckles. Wiping the small tears from his eyes, he stood up and smiled brightly at Arthur. Arthur rolled his eyes, turning to walk away again.

"No!" Elizabeta shouted. "You are not walking away this time!" She tackled Arthur to the ground, pinning him. The two friends glared at each other for a moment before Arthur looked to the side, signaling defeat. Her once cold stare was replaced with an overjoyed smile. She leapt from Arthur and walked towards Alfred. Slowly, Arthur stood up, glaring at Elizabeta.

"Hello," she greeted eagerly, "sorry about all that stuff that just happened. I blame Arthur, and so does Feliciano." Feliciano gave a loud 've~' towards Arthur. Arthur sighed once again. "Arthur, quit your sighing and quiet complaining and get your ass over here!" she ordered. Arthur glanced to his side, looking down the alley, and back to Elizabeta. His eyes widened.

"Where do you put that?" Arthur shouted, pointing at the iron frying pan now in Elizabeta's hand. Elizabeta quirked an eyebrow along with one side of her mouth, forming an evil smirk. Arthur held up his hands in defense, walking up next to Elizabeta. On the other side of her stood Feliciano staring off into space mumbling about pasta. Elizabeta nudged Arthur's torso, signaling he should talk. Sighing once again - earning an evil glare from Elizabeta - Arthur held out his hand in greeting. "Greetings. I am Arthur, but apparently to these two, I am 'The Source of All of Our Problems'." The caramel blonde shook the offered hand enthusiastically, causing Arthur to yelp and retract his hand from the grip. He rolled his arm, causing a loud pop to be audible. The group cringed at the sound while Arthur hissed under his breath. He shifted his shoulder slowly, cringing only once. Glaring momentary at Alfred, he presented his hand to Ludwig. He took the hand firmly, but with less strength as Alfred, thankfully.

"My name is Ludwig, and this is Alfred," the German man introduced. Both Elizabeta and Feliciano squealed at meeting the band members, all the while Arthur has his arms crossed over his chest, not caring one bit. Arthur glanced down the alley again. Maybe he could escape from Elizabeta's grasp - she is conveniently distracted by these two.

When Arthur was about to run for it, Elizabeta grabbed Arthur's upper arm, dragging him. Even with his patients thin, Arthur reluctantly followed. Wait, why are they going back into the arena? Arthur must have not heard about heading back in.

"Okay, dudes," Alfred exclaimed as they walked across the stage towards the group of band members. "you get to meet the band since you seem cool enough; well, except for Mr. Grumpy Pants over there." He nodded his head towards Arthur who only huffed in annoyance. "Exactly my point." They walked up to the group, finding them in a middle of a card game.

"Alfred-san," the Japanese man from earlier walked up to the group of five, curious evident on his usual calm face. "who are these people?" He motioned at the three behind Alfred. Alfred only grinned.

"These dudes were running outside the arena, and this dude right here - Mr. Grumpy Pants - ran into me," Alfred exclaimed boisterously. Arthur fumed in the background, beyond pissed. He just wanted to get home, have a cup of tea, and go to sleep. Arthur tried continuously to escape from Elizabeta's grasp - finding out his efforts were futile. He glared at the back of Alfred's head, wanting to smash it into the nearest surface. The Japanese man noticed this, but reframed from speaking about it. Instead, he walked in front of the three guests, bowing slightly.

"Konnichuwa, my name is Honda Kiku. If you do not know, my first name is Kiku, not Honda." Feliciano ran up to the Japanese man and tried to give him a hug, but Kiku dodged it last-minute. Feeling dejected, Feliciano returned to his spot by Elizabeta. Elizabeta looked Arthur sternly in the eye before she let go of Arthur. To her utmost joy, Arthur stayed where he was. Arthur and Elizabeta bowed and introduced themselves - along with Feliciano. Kiku nodded slightly and walked back to the band members who crowded around a cardboard box with their card game.

Alfred motions the trio to follow him towards the group. Feliciano follows close behind Ludwig while Elizabeta follows close behind Arthur - pushing him forward. Arthur puts his entire weight on Elizabeta, causing her to struggle. Arthur smirks when Elizabeta cannot move him. He did not see Elizabeta's own smirk before she let go of Arthur completely, causing him to fall backwards onto the ground. The stage erupted in joyous laughter as Arthur groaned in pain. Elizabeta smiled brightly as she walked away from where Arthur fell. Letting out another sigh, he stood up and straightened the small amount of wrinkles in his clothes. He glared maliciously at Elizabeta, who wasn't looking at him. She turned around to look at Arthur before stepping away slowly. The group glanced at her then at Arthur. Slowly, everyone not playing the card game, started inching away. That was, everyone except for the American idiot who can't read the atmosphere to save his life.

Alfred glanced around at his friends, realizing they are farther away than they were a few seconds ago. They all look frightened at something. He looked at where the group's eyes were trained on. He snorted when it turned out to be Arthur. He walked up to Arthur, wrapping an arm around his shoulders, ignoring the 'I'm-going-to-castrate-you-then-shove-your-balls-i n-your-mouth' glare he was receiving.

"I know his eyebrows are practically caterpillars," the glare deepened to a 'You-and-your-family-is-dead-tonight'. "but that doesn't mean he's going to eat you!" the American laughed. The Englishman wiggled in the tight grip, but only to have Alfred tighten it. Slowly, realizing his obvious defeat, Arthur calmed down enough to a point where his evil smirk was a 'You-are-lucky-you-lived'. The group relaxed, but the tension in the air never disappeared. Still oblivious, Alfred dragged Arthur to the group around the cardboard box.

"Will you stop dragging me!" Arthur demanded, pushing against Alfred's torso. The American seemed unfazed by the aggressiveness, unfortunately for Arthur.

"Not until you stop being a stick in the mud."

"I am not a stick in the mud!" Arthur defended. "I just am not enjoying this at all." He turned his head to the side away from Alfred. He glanced around and found Elizabeta and Kiku with cameras out, aiming directly at Arthur and Alfred. He blushed a little, struggling even more against Alfred's grip. "Let go of me!"

"No," Alfred said dryly. "you'll just run away like you tried earlier."

"I will not." Alfred blankly looked at Arthur, giving the look of unbelieving. "I will not leave, I promise." Arthur insisted. Alfred retracted his arm from Arthur slowly, getting ready to pull him back if necessary. Arthur huffed in annoyance and straightened his clothes once again. He glared at Elizabeta who was looking at photos on their cameras. Arthur raised an eyebrow when he saw a box of tissues next to them. Why do they need that?

Arthur looked away from the odd pair, focusing on the card game. He inwardly laughed at it when he realized that it was Go-Fish.

"Tino, do you have any twos?" an albino man asked.

"Go fish!" a yellow-haired man replied.

"That's totally unawesome..." the albino said under his breath.

"Gilbert, do you have any twos?" a soft voice spoke, whose owner look quite alike to Alfred.

"What! This gets more unawesome by the second!" the albino - Gilbert - complained, handing the quiet man three twos. A small smile formed on the man's lips as he placed down four twos. "I think you're cheating!"

"You're just pissed because you suck at this game," Alfred joked. Gilbert mumbled something about being too awesome before he placed down his hand of cards. He stood up and walked towards Alfred, immediately spotting Arthur. His eyes widened and so did Arthur's. They looked at each other for a long moment before Gilbert's face broke into a big grin.

"Hey, Art," he greeted casually. "it's good to see you again!" Gilbert held out his hand, waiting for a handshake. Arthur took the hand, glaring at Gilbert.

"You know how much I hate that nickname," Arthur said dryly. "But yes; it is good to see you again Gilbert."

"Wait," Alfred interrupted the reunion. "how do you two know each other?" Gilbert glanced at Arthur and motioned him to explain. Giving another annoyed sigh, Arthur looked at Alfred.

"We know each other from high school," Arthur stated bluntly, not caring for details. Alfred looked expectantly at Arthur. Arthur rolled his eyes before continuing. "He was part of a group - I forgot what the idiotic name was - that always loved messing with me. At first we hated each others' guts, but later we ended up friends. We separated after senior year. I never thought I'd ever see this guy ever again." He pointed his thumb towards Gilbert who was smiling brightly at Arthur. "Thought he would've died of overdose by now." Gilbert frowned, nudging Arthur. Arthur chuckled as he balanced himself. "You know I'm just joking, Gilbert."

Gilbert laughed loudly. "I know," he said brightly. "your sense of humor never does change, eyebrows." Arthur glared harshly at Gilbert, elbowing him in the ribs. "And neither has your aggressiveness."

The two engaged in friendly conversation afterward, catching up on each others' lives. They were interrupted when the loud sound of a door opening echoed throughout the arena. Everyone looked toward to sound, finding Francis walking dramatically towards the stage. He swayed his hips as he walked up the stairs. He looked around the group of friends, finding Gilbert and Arthur. His eyes narrowed as he walked closer to the pair. His face broke into a wide grin when he looked at the large eyebrows.

"Arthur,_ mon ami_~!" He trotted towards Arthur, who immediately started backing away. The Frenchman sped up his walk towards Arthur, who also sped up his. They went in circles around each other until Arthur turned and ran towards the exit.

"Get away from me, frog!" Arthur yelled over his shoulder. He was about to make it to the door, until a certain female blocked his way with a frying pan. Arthur stopped immediately, gulping nervously. The Frenchman stopped right beside Arthur, a smirk plastered on his face.

"Is that how you greet a friend?"

"I was never a friend of yours, Frenchie."

"Don't be like that, _ami_," Francis chuckled. "How about we greet each other properly; it's been quite some time, _non_?" He held out his hand like all the others had. Arthur was about to walk away from the Frenchman until he noticed Elizabeta's presence beside him. He reluctantly took the hand, cringing when he did so. Wordlessly, they returned onstage, ignoring each other. However, Francis' eyes wondered somewhere when he walked up the stairs immediately after Arthur. "Your body truly hasn't changed, Arthur," he purred. Arthur's face burned bright red when he realized what he was implying. Swiftly, he made it to the center of the stage, face still red. Gilbert laughed in the background in Arthur's direction. He glared at the albino before looking at Elizabeta who just walked on stage. She walked up to Arthur, frying pan suddenly gone.

"I'm surprised that you didn't know Gilbert and Francis were here. They were performing in the concert."

"I wasn't paying attention to it for obvious reasons," Arthur spat. Elizabeta rolled her eyes, walking towards Alfred. While she was distracted, Arthur decided that he had had enough of everything. Swiftly, he crept towards the nearest exit, going unnoticed by everyone. Slowly, he opened the door. When it was just wide enough for his body, he slipped through, closing the door with the same amount of carefulness. The heavy door closed with a soft click, making Arthur release the breath he didn't know he was holding. He straightened his stature and walked towards his apartment.

~...~

Alfred handed back the piece of paper to Elizabeta with a smile. She took it swiftly, squealing silently.

"Thank you, Alfred!" she chirped, grinning widely. Elizabeta turned around on her heal, looking around. A frown appeared on the woman's face, drawing concern from Alfred.

"What's wrong?"

Elizabeta paused for a moment, looking around again. "...Arthur's gone." Her frown deepened, turning into a murderous look. She placed the autograph in her jean pocket, walking around to stage. "Where the hell is Arthur?" Elizabeta screeched, earning the attention of all everyone. She looked at the group, showing an annoyed look. "Did anyone see him leave?"

The group shook their heads violently. Elizabeta growled softly, looking around at the nearby exits. She seemed deep in thought for a moment before pointing to a metal door on the side of the stage. "He went through that door," she looked towards the band members apologetically. "I'm sorry about my moods. As always, I blame Arthur." With that said, she left the arena through the door that she pointed out, walking the direction to Arthur's apartment.

~...~

Feliciano sighed as Elizabeta left the arena. He glanced over at Ludwig, a small smile on his face. "I think I should be going too," he said. Hesitantly, he walked to the door, only to stop and turn around quickly. "We should get together another time!" he cheered smiling brightly.

"Yeah! We should!" Alfred agreed. "Where should we meet though?"

The group was silent for a moment until Ludwig spoke up. "There is a bar nearby, we could meet up there the day after tomorrow." The group agreed almost instantly - you could never go wrong with alcohol.

"Ve~, that's sounds nice!" Ludwig gave the address to Feliciano on a piece of paper. "See you guys! I'm going to go have pasta now!" Feliciano skipped out the same door the other two left, whistling a catchy tune.

~...~

"No."

"Come on! It will be fun!"

"I am not going."

"I won't stop begging until you do~."

"Go for it..."

"Please, please, please, please, please with a cherry on top?"

"I don't consider that begging."

"Oh your mightyness, I begath of you to cometh to thi bar tomorrow to grace us with your presence."

"...I'll think about it later."

"Oh come on!" Elizabeta yelled, getting up from on her knees in front of Arthur and sitting on the couch. "How do I have to persuade you to come?"

"You cannot persuade me," Arthur stated proudly, walking towards the kitchen of his apartment. Elizabeta had come running to Arthur's apartment, phone in hand, talking about meeting Overnight Unite again at a bar nearby. Being the smart one that he is, Arthur opened the door for her to say how he doesn't want to go. When he did open it, Elizabeta squeezed herself inside his house, saying how she is not leaving until he promises to go to the bar tomorrow - a gentleman always keeps his promises.

A smirk crawled its way on Elizabeta's lips, going unseen by Arthur. When Arthur returns from the kitchen, tea in hand, Elizabeta hides the smirk. "Okay," she states in a dejected tone, "I guess I can't persuade you; I'll just go. See ya around, Arthur." She stood up and made her way out of the apartment. Once the door was shut, the smirk reappeared, stronger than ever. She laughed lightly, exiting the apartment complex. "I never give up easily, Arthur," she whispered under her breath to no one in particular.

* * *

_A/N:_

_Well hello there. This new story is dedicated to a friend online whom kept bugging me to write a USUK story. After losing a bet, I have been forced to write such a story. I feel ashamed of myself of losing the bet, but it was funny in the end. Anyhow, this story is a romance, obviously, it will have USUK in it sometime, somewhere, and I added a lot of humor into it. I don't really find my writing style of humor good, but I'm trying... So tell me what you guys think, it means a lot to me to know what I need to improve on. I live to improve._

_~WAG_


	2. Chapter 2: Getting Drunk

_A/N:_

_Thank you guys so so so much for the follows, reviews, and favorites! It isn't much compared to some people out there, but it does brighten up my mood to its fullest. If I could hug you, I would. Of course, it would be completely asexual. Anyways, enjoy this chapter. I had a bucket load of fun writing it! And I hope you have many more buckets of fun reading it!_

_Oh, and **I do not own Hetalia**...but one can dream, right?_

* * *

~...~

"Put me down this instant!"

"Kesesese! Nien!"

_THUMP_

"Bloody Hell! Look where you're walking, you dolt!"

"Nien!"

_SLAM_

"I'm going to bloody murder you!"

"Kesese! Good luck with that!"

"Good job, Gilbert!" Elizabeta yelled from the end of he hallway, tape recorder in hand. Next to her stood Tino, smiling calmly. Gilbert walked towards the duo steadily, unfazed by the violent attacks led by Arthur whom was over his shoulder at this given moment. Gilbert walked past the two, quickly making his way to the elevator. The group of four waited for that elevator, trying to block out Arthur's loud protests.

"-dead! You hear me? De-"

"Shut up, _Hühnerscheiße_!" Gilbert finally snapped, shifting Arthur's body on his shoulder continuously.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? And stop moving and put me down, you asshat!"

Gilbert didn't respond for the elevator doors opened, revealing an empty compartment. Swiftly, Gilbert walked inside the elevator. The two followed after, laughing to themselves silently. Arthur's shouts of complaints died down to only slight grumbles of disapproval. When the elevator doors closed, Gilbert placed Arthur down on the floor. He straightened out his clothes, grumbling to himself. He looked up from his shirt to the people the forced him into the elevator, glaring deeply.

"What was that for?" Arthur growled.

"Since you were so insistent on not hanging out with us," Elizabeta started "we decided to force you against your will." She extended her arms and hands above her head, barely fitting into the small elevator. "Ta-da~!"

"...bloody wankers..." Arthur hissed under his breath as the doors of the elevator opened. He stayed still, thinking the others would go ahead of him, leaving him able to escape. No one moved for a moment until Gilbert grabbed Arthur by the waist and flipped him over his shoulder. He walked out the elevator casually, smirking as residents gave them weird stares.

The group made it out of the apartment complex, having some difficulty at the door. Arthur still over his shoulder, Gilbert walked towards the bar they planned on meeting at. Arthur was silent the entire walk, thinking of ways to escape. He came up with a brilliant plan just as the bar came into view. Not so gently, Gilbert placed Arthur on the ground. He didn't glance back as he walked through the wooden door.

Arthur was in the running position just as two sets of hands grabbed his shoulders, forcing him inside. He would've been kicking and screaming if it weren't for the fact he was a gentleman - an absolutely invincible British gentleman. [_see what I did there?_]

The trio arrived at of five- no wait, six. [_forgot about Matthew, eh?_] Gilbert had already sat down next to Ludwig, both chugging down beers at rapid pace. Kiku motioned for Elizabeta to sit down next to her, another box of tissues at his side. Seriously, why do they need those? Alfred sat next to Matthew, the latter staring at Arthur with eyes that said 'help me'. Tino and Elizabeta both let go of Arthur, the Finnish man walking over to the apathetic bartender, a unnoticed loving look on his face. Elizabeta sat next to Kiku, pulling out her tape recorder from earlier. She looked at the motionless Brit dangerously, gesturing for him to sit down next the boisterous American. With a moment's hesitation, he sat down.

"Hey ya, Artie!" Alfred exclaimed, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. Arthur squirmed heavily, finally managing to disentangle himself from Alfred's strong grip. A small pout appeared on the man's lips, but before Arthur could confirm it, the wide grin was back. Arthur rolled his eyes, looking towards the bar.

Maybe a few drinks wouldn't hurt...

~...~

Arthur stumbled as he stood up, grabbing the table for support. He was completely drunk, most likely, but couldn't care less. He giggled as someone caught him from falling once again, a warmth that he became familiar with enclosed him. He sighed contently, leaning heavily against the object keeping him from falling. The warm object vibrated slightly for a minute before relaxing.

"We should get you drunk more often," Alfred suggested, completely amused.

Arthur nuzzled further into Alfred's chest, sniffing the man's scent. It smelled of beer, sweat, and...what is that last smell? Hamburgers? Why would he smell like hamburgers?

He pushed the thought aside as strong arms wrapped around his body, pulling him flush against Alfred. The man's chest rumbled again, shaking Arthur's head. He barely registered being picked up by the back of his knees and his lower back only to wrap his arms around Alfred's neck. He heard a few clicks and saw white flashes, but was too busy nuzzling the American's shoulder.

"I think I'm going to take Artie home," Alfred sighed, slightly amused by intoxicated Arthur. He was about to walk off when Elizabeta walked in front of him, blocking his way out.

"I'll come with you!" she exclaimed, already walking ahead of him.

"No, Liz," Alfred rejected. "I can take him."

"You don't know where he lives or where he hides his apartment key," Elizabeta said, unwavered by rejection. "Let's go!" Without waiting for the go ahead from Alfred, she sauntered out of the bar, holding the door open for Alfred. Rolling his eyes - but still smiling nonetheless - he followed Elizabeta.

Arthur groaned as Alfred started walking, pressing even further into the American's neck. Alfred let out a long sigh, resting his chin on top of Arthur's head. The sandy blonde hair tickled his nose, almost causing him to sneeze, but stopped himself before he could. He placed his cheek on his head instead, surprised at how soft the hair felt compared to its wild look. Unconsciously, he nuzzled into it, only stopping when he heard an 'aww~' nearby. He looked over at the source, raising an eyebrow.

"Dude, why do you have a tissue up your nose?" Alfred asked, loud enough for Elizabeta to hear, but soft enough to not disturb Arthur.

Elizabeta thought for a swift moment. "I...M-My nose runs whenever I drink," Elizabeta lied. "It's quite annoying..." she trailed off, waving her hand in dismissal. Alfred shrugged lightly, causing Arthur to stir. He grumbled lightly, breath ghosting over Alfred's neck. The American shivered, just now noticing the intoxicated man's steady breath on his skin. Alfred gulped inaudibly, shifting Arthur slightly, a silent plea to remove his face from his neck. Arthur didn't budge, too stubborn in his drunken state to care.

Elizabeta pointed to the apartment complex that came into view around a corner. "That's the place where Arthur lives," Alfred nodded slightly, making sure to not come into contact with Arthur's head. They walk into the complex, heading towards the elevator. Arthur shifted in Alfred's arms as the elevator jumped. He placed his head directly underneath Alfred's chin, opening his eyes slightly. He yawned, apparently making Alfred his make-shift bed. Alfred rolled his eyes, but gave a small smile down at Arthur.

The elevator rang, signalling for the trio to step out of the compartment. They walked down the hallway, making it to Arthur's apartment. Elizabeta walked over to a potted plant nearby, tilting it slightly. She smirked when she found the key to the apartment. Quickly making it back to the door, she unlocked it, reveling a clean apartment.

"Wow," Alfred gaped. "This guy loves to clean." He walked inside the plain apartment, looking around for obvious signs for the bedroom.

"Yea, well he does have a lot of free time. Plus, he's British," Elizabeta explained, motioning Alfred to the door of Arthur's bedroom. Alfred followed behind Elizabeta, waiting for her to open the door. Once inside the room, Alfred gaped. What. The. Hell.

"I know right, never really thought he would be the type of guy," Elizabeta agreed. Apparently he said it aloud, he should probably watch that.

The room was covered in different posters, all overlapping one another. They were all punk bands: Sex Pistols, The Who, The Clash, you name it, it was there somewhere. Some places there was a tiny glimpse of the light green paint underneath, but was hardly noticeable. However, contrary to the decor, Arthur's bed was plain except for a green bunny with wings. Alfred looked at it for a moment before laughing. Arthur grumbled lowly, completely irritated. Why doesn't his bed lay still and let him sleep?

Alfred - still laughing - placed Arthur on the bed, shaking him with his laughter. He wiped away the liquid from the corner of his eyes, smiling widely down at Arthur. They don't get more unique than this, do they?

He stood up, turning on his heel to walk away. A hand grasped his wrist fiercely, causing Alfred to look at Arthur curiously. He was about to ask what's wrong, but stopped when he heard soft snoring. He chuckled slightly at the sprawled out Brit: his cheek heavily pressed against the mattress, mouth slightly agape, and legs and arms extended out, covering almost the entire double bed.

Alfred tugged at the firm grip at his wrist. The grip only tightened, making Alfred tug harder. Trying multiple times without success, he gave up. He glanced around the room. Wait, where did Elizabeta go? Alfred looked back down at Arthur, sighing deeply in defeat. He shifted Arthur - which was difficult with technically only one hand - so that he only took part of the bed.

Alfred's arm stretched over Arthur's body in an uncomfortable position. As slowly as possible, Alfred kneeled up onto the bed, walking over Arthur's legs and arms to get to the other side of the bed. After accidentally kicking Arthur twice, Alfred reached his destination, sighing in relief as he sunk down into the mattress. He used his unoccupied hand to comb through his hair. Slumping further into the bed, Alfred closed his eyes and fell asleep.

~...~

Elizabeta walked through the bedroom door, tea and coffee cups in hand. She stopped and smiled softly at the two men in bed.

Arthur was curled up next to Alfred with his head on his chest, hand gripping the fabric of his shirt slightly. Alfred had one hand holding Arthur while the other lied just below the sandy blonde's hand. Underneath the duvet, their legs intertwined with one another, pulling them closer.

She gave a soft sigh, retrieving her camera but stopped. '_This moment shouldn't be for me to share...'_ she thought. Deciding to check on the couple tomorrow, she silently left the apartment.

~...~

Arthur groaned as a yellow light hit his eyes, making his head hurt more than it already did. He buried himself further into his pillow, but was unable to. He sighed and shifted his head, trying to find a soft spot to lay on. Moving his head farther up his pillow slowly, he came into contact with something. He tapped it with his head again, causing it to move. It certainly wasn't his headboard. Using the hand he had against the pillow, he reached up and touched it, confirming his assumption that it wasn't his headboard. It was soft, that's for sure. Grumbling, he opened his eyes, hissing at the light. Blinking a few times, his environment became clearer.

First, he looked at his pillow. It had brown and white along with a zipper. '_Hm..I don't remember changing my pillow sheets...'_ he thought. Glancing further up, he noticed where his head hit. Scrambling, Arthur tried to get out of bed, find his clothe-

He's completely clothed. Arthur let out a sigh of relief and pain. Damn, his head hurt like hell.

During his scrambling, he managed to arch his back at a very uncomfortable angle. Wincing slightly, Arthur relaxed to a comfortable position, untangling his legs from the intruder. He sat up and looked at the sleeping figure's face. His eyes widen to their limit. Being able to move this time, Arthur frantically tried to get out of bed. He crab walked away from the still sleeping figure: Alfred.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Arthur repeated. He moved about two feet before he fell to the ground, yelping when he landed on the back of his neck on the hard carpet. He groaned, rubbing his neck._ 'This morning cannot get any better...'_ Arthur seethed.

"Wha-?" a lazy American voice murmured tiredly. Arthur cursed himself for making such a scene. He was about to stand up when a pair of blue eyes poked from the bed. Alfred smiled brightly, tilting his head to the side in an adorable way. "Mornin' Artie~!" he cooed.

Arthur scrambled to get himself off the floor. He hissed in pain as he moved to fast. '_Why does my head hurt so mu- oh...Oh!'_

"Why did you allow myself to get drunk!" Arthur screeched at Alfred's sprawled out form on the bed. The American shrugged and sat up, poking at Arthur teasingly.

"You're the one that started drinking," Alfred stated, an amused expression on his face.

Arthur huffed in irritation. "Why are you in my bed?"

Alfred's grin spread to its widest, eyes gleaming with pure amusement. "You're the one that didn't allow me to leave." Alfred laughed, head dipped down slightly. "I never thought you to be such a cuddly person."

Arthur face became extremely hot. He sputtered, "I-I was drunk. I-It was merely the alcohol in my system." Alfred shrugged nonchalantly, not really caring. An awkward silence elapsed between the two before Arthur spoke again. "Um...would you tell me what happened last night? Everything after I got smashed?"

Alfred sighed slightly, running a hand through his hair. "Actually, not much happened. At first you were really loud and grumpy. Sometimes you would be all 'dude, I'm the king of England' and others you would be, 'why does everyone hate me'. It was quite confusing, but it was definitely the funniest thing in my life, bro." Arthur gave a sigh of relief. "Oh, what was with the whole Protestant and Catholic battle you were having with yourself?" Arthur groaned, but Alfred continued on, not waiting for an answer. "Then later you got all cuddly with me. I think Kiku took some pictures if you want to deny that. Anyways, after the fourth time I caught you before you fell to the ground, I decided to be a hero and take you home. I placed you on the bed, but you wouldn't let go of my wrist when I turned to go to my home. So, I slept in the same bed with you."

Arthur turned a deep red, looking anywhere but Alfred. This wasn't the first time this thing has happened with someone. It's not his fault he get's attached when extremely drunk. "I'm sorry about my actions last night," Arthur apologized, completely embarrassed. "However, this does not explain how I woke up this morning..." he trailed off, hoping Alfred would understand.

"How did you wake this morning?" Alfred asked, completely oblivious.

Arthur blushed brightly, walking towards the door. "It doesn't matter. Nevermind."

"If you say so," Alfred responded, following Arthur towards the kitchen, a hidden smirk on his face.

~...~

_(This is immediately after Alfred, Arthur, and Elizabeta walked out the bar)_

"I told you _kleinen Scheißer_: Al has the hots for Art!" Gilbert yelled, now on his tenth pint of beer (completely sober still...)

"_Oui; _it seems he does," Francis agreed, sipping more of his wine.

"_Sì_, but what about Arthur?" Feliciano asked, while simultaneously reaching for the alcohol Ludwig took away from him.

"He is a tough _écrou_ to crack," Francis stated, twirling a strand of hair in between his fingers.

"_Bruder_," Gilbert motioned towards Feliciano. "Just give the kid his alcohol. Can't hurt him, right?"

Ludwig turned towards Gilbert to argue, but was interrupted by Feliciano grabbing the pint of beer from his hold. Swiftly, he took it back, looking sternly at Feliciano. "You have had enough alcohol tonight." Feliciano looked up at Ludwig, eyes brimming with big tears.

"I-I'm sorry!" Feliciano wailed, clinging to Ludwig's shirt. "I didn't mean to make you upset! I won't do it again so please don't be mad with me! I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so-"

"Enough!" Ludwig interjected, grabbing Feliciano by his upper arms and pushing back to where he fully sat on the chair. He let out a heavy sigh. "It's okay, Feliciano. I'm not mad at you," He muttered, loud enough for Feliciano to hear.

"You aren't mad at me?" Ludwig nodded, pink tinge to her cheeks. "Ve~! I don't like it when Ludie is mad at me." The group at the table looked at each other knowingly, smirks evident on their faces. However, Matthew's went unnoticed, along with his entire presence.

"He sure is a keeper, _mon ami_," Francis said, smirk growing as Feliciano started leaning towards Ludwig. Gilbert laughed, gulping down the rest of his thirteenth beer. He placed it down on the table, standing up.

"Sure is," Gilbert agreed. "I'm heading out now. Have fun without my awesome self." He waved behind his back before leaving the bar, leaving five people left at the table. (Tino is off with the bar tender still...)

"Well, _mes amis_," Francis started, standing up. "I fear I must leave. Have fun _vous deux_~!" Francis chimed, exiting the bar with a dramatic hair flip causing a couple of girls to sigh dreamily while others fell out of their chairs.

Ludwig looked at Feliciano for a long moment (Feliciano was leaning towards Kiku, begging for a hug.) before leading him out the door, giving a weak goodbye to Kiku. He nodded slightly before heading out himself, leaving Matthew alone at the table. He gave a sad sigh. "See you tomorrow, Matthew," he muttered to himself, hugging himself the entire way home.

* * *

**Hühnerscheiße**: Chicken shit

**kleinen Scheißer**: little shits

**écrou**: nut

**Bruder**: brother

**vous deux**: you two

_A/N:_

_Here's the people in the band and their positions:_

_Alfred- Lead Guitar_

_Francis- Vocalist_

_Tino- String Instruments (violin, cello, bass, etc.)_

_Matthew- Guitar_

_Kiku- Piano_

_Ludwig- Drummer_

_(all of them can sing, but Francis holds the title for it.)_

_So how do you guys like it? Good enough? NO! IT'S NEVER GOOD ENOUGH! Keeping that in mind, tell me what I need to improve on. It means the world to me. Until next time, I bid you good day! _

_Auf Wiedersehen~ (yes, it's German; got a problem with that? Hm?)_


	3. Chapter 3: A Change of Plans

_A/N:_

**I do not own Hetalia **_I guess I'm just not that awesome..._

* * *

~...~

The sun was at high-noon when Elizabeta made her way towards Arthur's apartment. The streets were crowded with pedestrians and cars. The hubbub of conversation made it near impossible to hear properly. Elizabeta squeezed herself through the dense crowd, trying to make it to the crosswalk. Making her way across the street, she nearly falls over, but catches herself before she can do so. She shot the person who pushed her a dirty look before looking ahead once again.

On the other side of the street, the crowd wasn't as dense as the other. Giving a slight sigh of relief, she carried on towards her destination. Elizabeta looked down an alleyway further down and notices a group of five people sitting in a circle. She looks closer down the alleyway to get a clearer view of the group, but was unable to. Giving a huff of irritation, she walked on.

Finally, after a long walk, Elizabeta made it Arthur's apartment. She picked up the hidden key and unlocked the door. Only having the door opened partway, she could hear the yelling of an argument clearly. Giving a slight frown, she entered the apartment, taking off her shoes near the front door.

"-don't you cook then!" Arthur's voice rang, the clash of a pan hitting a solid surface echoed immediately after.

"I don't cook, man! I'll just go get McDonald's!" Alfred stated, frustration evident in his voice.

Elizabeta sighed silently to herself, shoulder sagging. She entered the kitchen with a blank expression. The two already inside looked towards her confused. Arthur's confusion immediately changed to anger. Before he could yell out a lecture, Elizabeta held up a hand, silencing him.

"Arthur," she said calmly, lowering her hand. "I already have a clear understanding of what's going on. Care to explain why you're so keen on yelling so loudly over the fact that one more person realized that you're cooking isn't the greatest?" Elizabeta raised an eyebrow in Arthur's direction. Arthur huffed and looked away.

"My cooking is fine; you lots just have no sense of good cooking," Arthur mumbled, face grim.

Elizabeta sighed, her attention changing to Alfred. "And Alfred," she stated sternly. "you shouldn't be too mean to Arthur about his cooking." Elizabeta walked towards the kitchen stove, grabbing some ingredients and pans along the way. "You two are going to apologize while I start cooking. I'm guessing you guys just woke up so I'm going to make a late breakfast."

Alfred looked towards Arthur who wasn't budging. Sighing heavily, Alfred stood up and walked towards Arthur.

"I'm sorry for insulting your food," Alfred mumbled, looking away from Arthur. Arthur looked up at Alfred, face stern.

"You should be, git," Arthur uttered, looking away once again. A silence elapsed, the sound of clicking pans and stirring audible. Elizabeta growled slightly, not looking towards the two men.

"Arthur," Elizabeta grumbled. "give your apology."

Arthur sighed and looked towards the ground. "I'm sorry for snapping at you." He looked back up at Alfred, gaze contradicting what he just said, but went ignored. Alfred held out his hand for the Brit to take. Looking at him wary, he took the hand and shared a firm (but thankfully not as bad as the first one) handshake. Their hands lingered a little longer than supposed to which caused both of them to look anywhere besides the person in front of them.

The atmosphere in the room went from tense to awkward in a matter of seconds. Elizabeta became very curious. Turning around to face the two other people in the apartment, she notices the lack of eye-contact. She smiles to herself and continues cooking.

~...~

"Why do you have so many books?"

"Because I can and will."

"Video games are better, you know."

"I'm sorry if I don't believe that sitting on my arse all day, listening idiotic twelve year olds yell over the internet is entertaining."

"It's fun when you kill them a lot to make them rage really hard, though."

"You sadist..." Arthur teased towards Alfred, a wide smirk on his face. Alfred looks away, cheeks tinted pink. Arthur chuckled and leaned back on his chair, diving back into his novel. Not even a page later, he was interrupted by Elizabeta and Alfred's loud conversation.

"Look at this photo!" Elizabeta insisted, forcing her phone into Alfred's face. The American grinned widely at the screen.

"He's so fluffy!" Alfred exclaimed, laughing loudly.

"The fluffiest!" Elizabeta agreed, laughing along with him. Arthur placed his book down and looked at the duo.

"I don't care what animal you're looking at, but will you shut up!" Arthur demanded, scowling deeply. He just got to the good part of the book, but it had to be ruined. Like hell he'll keep calm.

Alfred and Elizabeta laughed harder, tears prickling at their eyelids. Alfred was the first to calm down enough to speak properly.

"Dude, we weren't looking at an animal!" He coughed lightly, trying to contain his laughter. "It was a picture of Gabriel Iglesias!" Arthur looked confused as Elizabeta and Alfred had a laughing fit again. He stood and took the phone from Elizabeta's hand. His face of confusion morphed into annoyance. He gave Elizabeta back her cell phone, walking towards the door. He placed on his shoes and coat, only glancing back at the pair briefly to speak.

"I'm going out for a walk," Arthur clarified. "I know if I kick you out, you'll just come back in someway. Just make sure you don't steal anything or allow anyone else in while I'm gone." Arthur left the apartment, leaving the confused and hurt duo behind. He left the complex, walking towards the edge of town where not a lot of activity occurs. On the outskirts of town lies a thick forest where Arthur visits many times to calm down or to escape the world around him.

After a treacherous walk, Arthur finally arrives at the forest, already in a calmer mood. He enters the forest, walking aimlessly for a while. Afternoon became early evening when Arthur arrived at an opening in the thick forest which caused a small smile graced Arthur's lips.

There was a small lake that was surrounded by trees except for the small portion Arthur was standing in. A few trees were lying low enough for the branches and leaves to brush up against the glistening water. An army of flowers surrounded the opening, colors blending with each other. The green grass came up to around Arthur's ankles, ticking the skin around it.

Arthur sighed contently, plucking a flower from the moist ground. He brought it up to his nose to smell, inhaling deeply. He twirled the bright flower between his fingers, smiling softly. He looked across the lake, noticing a slight glimmer above it. His smile grew wider as the small light drew closer to him. Arthur stretched out his palm towards the ball of light, curling his fingers in slightly. The light landed on his hand, dimming as it settled. A female fairy waved up at Arthur, smiling brightly. He smiled warmly at her, chuckling when she slipped on his hand. The fairy covered her face in mock sadness, producing fake tears to stream down her face. Arthur, who couldn't tell if she was faking or not, became very worried. The fairy glimpsed up at his worried face, the tears disappearing. She smiled brightly, standing up once again on his palm, laughing as she did so. Arthur rolled his eyes, but still smiled at her.

The fairy motioned towards a willow tree across the lake, looking at Arthur questioningly. Arthur laughed lightly, looking at the willow tree fondly.

"I don't think you need to ask," he answered. The fairy giggled, flying off of Arthur's hand. She flew to the willow tree, the water reflecting her bright glow. Arthur sat down on the ground, running his fingertips across the colorful flowers around him. A tug at his hair made him look up.

"Flying Mint Bunny!" Arthur exclaimed. A green creature with wings and a body of a bunny floated above Arthur's head. The bunny flew around Arthur's head in excitement.

"Arthur, Arthur! You're back!" The green bunny yelled, stopping its movement in front of his face. "Oh how we've missed you! You don't visit as often and it has made us very sad. You look like you've been troubled lately. What's going on, Arthur?"

Arthur chuckled softly at the green creature. "I'm sorry, bunny," Arthur started. "You know how life can be a hassle at times. It has made me very sad, too. Yes, I have been troubled lately because of Elizabeta and Feliciano." Arthur frowned at the mention of his 'friends'.

Flying Mint Bunny lied down on Arthur's knee, rubbing its face against the firm denim. "They're your friends, right Arthur?" Arthur nodded hesitantly. "They only mean well, you know that! You might hate them at some points in time, but if they are your friends, they'll stick with you until the end. Now, what's really been bothering you?" Bunny persisted.

Arthur, sighed and started petting Flying Mint Bunny. "I met this band named Overnight Unite. I've been reunited with old enemies - I wouldn't classify them as friends - met few nice people, and a very obnoxious idiot," Arthur explained, staring off towards the lake. Bunny flew from Arthur's knee to his shoulder.

"Who's annoying? What's his name? Is he cute?" Bunny asked.

"His name is Alfred Jones," Arthur answered, gripping a new flower in his hand. "He is quite handsome, yes, but his personality ruins it." Arthur grimaced, plucking another flower from its stem. Flying Mint Bunny shifted in his spot to lean against the crook of Arthur's neck.

"What's he like? He can't be too bad..." Bunny trailed off.

"What's he like? Well, he's American first of all which implies he's obnoxious, rude, incapable of reading the atmosphere, interrupts people whenever he feels it necessary, has gigantic ego, an annoying hero complex, is practically married to McDonald's and proud of it, a complete git, and- should I go on?"

A deep green fairy - much like the color in Arthur's eyes - floats over to Arthur, a mischievous look on her face. "And how long have you known this Mister Alfred Jones?" she asks.

Arthur pauses a moment to think. "...I'd say about two days. Why...?"

The fairy giggles, covering her mouth with her hand. She removes it before speaking, "You know so much about him after so little time!" She twirls around in the air much like a ballerina.

Arthur blushes heavily, looking away. "I-...It's hard not to forget the insolent fool! Once he leaves to the next town on his tour, I'm going to celebrate."

"You're an awful lair," Bunny mentions, flying next to the fairy. The fairy grins at Arthur fondly.

"They do say opposites attract~" the fairy teased, flying over and poking Arthur on the nose. "You have to stop lying to yourself, Arthur. It's really not good for you." She smiles sadly, gliding back over to Bunny.

Arthur sighs and smells the flower in his hand. "Old habits die hard," he explains, looking up towards the willow tree where multiple balls of lights are floating around. "It seems they're coming now. This conversation is only between us, okay?" The two creatures nodded firmly before flying off to the willow tree.

~...~

Alfred eyes stayed locked on the door as he asked, "What's stuck up his ass?"

Elizabeta snickered quietly to herself, "Many things, many things..."

Alfred tore his gaze away from the door to Elizabeta. "What?"

"Oh, nothing!" she covered too quickly for it to be believable. Alfred eyes her suspiciously for a few minutes before shrugging nonchalantly. He looked around the apartment, eyes landing on a small picture in the corner of the room. Curious, Alfred walks over to it. Elizabeta quirks an eyebrow in his direction, silently asking for an explanation.

Alfred picks up the small photograph. In the photo lies a woman in her early forties hugging a teenage Arthur. Her smile was bright, but it didn't seem to reach her eyes. There was an obvious sadness hiding beneath the happiness shown. Arthur had a slight scowl on his face, along with a light blush. The woman seemed to resemble Arthur with the exception of his eyebrows. In the background, the sign of a school is visible: _Mundus Academy_. To the other side of Arthur, part of another figure showed. The photograph was obviously cut to not show the unknown person. Who is that person? There's a hand on top of the cut out form. Possibly another person? Why is it cut out?

Elizabeta walked up behind Alfred, looking at the photo. She frowned deeply, tearing the picture from his grasp. Placing the picture down, she faced Alfred with a deep glare.

"We're heading out to the city." She grabbed Alfred's upper arm and threw him out the apartment before he could reply. Locking the door behind them, Elizabeta looked stolidly at Alfred. "No questions."

~...~

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Are you sure you know where you're going?"

"...Yes...?"

"You have no clue, do you?"

"Unfortunately, no," Elizabeta admitted, looking guilty at the ground. Alfred laughed slightly, shaking his head side to side. He looked around where they had stopped. There were a few bars around along with possible clubs and stripper bars. Further back there was a McDonald's, but who knows if they'd find it. Elizabeta sighed, turning around and heading back towards the main road - hopefully.

The silence between the two lasted until they came up to a busy street. Alfred first-pumped the air in relief as Elizabeta rolled her eyes. They continued walking around for a few hours until Alfred received a text from Francis.

"What'd he say?" Elizabeta asked, stepping out of the way of a very drunk looking man (it's not even past four-o'clock, this guys must have it rough...)

"...Practice in about thirty minutes. It's near here though, I think. I should get going then," Alfred walked ahead of Elizabeta waving to her behind his back. Elizabeta quickly caught up to him, stopping him from going further.

"I'm coming with you!" she exclaimed loudly, a bright smile on her face. Alfred laughed, shrugging. They came up to a studio further down the street surrounded by teenage girls and their boyfriends or parents. Alfred face-palmed while Elizabeta cocked her head to the side. He groaned, sliding his hand down his roughly. Elizabeta looked at Alfred worriedly. "What's going on?"

Alfred sighed, frowning deeply. "Our rehearsal got leaked again," Alfred explained, eyeing the crowd angrily. "I bet it was Francis." Elizabeta shrugged, walking towards the crowd casually. She struggled through the thick crowd, walking towards the entrance. Looking above the crowd, Elizabeta noted that Alfred stayed behind, trying to blend in. Giving a sly smile, she stopped at the clearing at the door.

"Guys," Elizabeta screamed over the crowd, gaining the attention of everyone. "I just saw Chris Evans working out in the gym down the street!" The crowd was silent except for the clicks of cameras taking pictures. "With his shirt off!" she bellowed. Many girls squealed, running off towards the gym, cameras at the ready. The parents and boyfriends followed along, not nearly as excited. However, there were a few men who were screaming over the crowd, running behind the crowd of girls.

"Chris Evans made me gay!"

"One day, I will become one with Chris Evans!"

As soon as the crowd dispersed, Alfred jogged up to Elizabeta, smiling widely.

"Dude," Alfred exclaimed. "that was perfect! I owe you one, man." He walked through the door to the studio, motioning Elizabeta to follow. Once inside, they made their way to the reversal room, only getting lost a handful of times.

Opening the door, they were greeted with the sight of Francis casually twirling around the mic stand in the middle of the room. Elizabeta was about to grab her cellphone when Francis abruptly stopped. He looked at the two friends, then at the stand, and back towards the duo. He tilted his head slightly, a sheepish look on his face. Alfred laughed loudly, walking up to Francis.

"I don't think I'm going to even ask," Alfred said casually, patting Francis harshly on his back. The Frenchman cringed slightly, grumbling about something in French. The guitarist shrugged, walking towards the American flag guitar case against the wall. Elizabeta sat down on the luxurious couch near the doorway, texting someone on her phone. Francis looked at her curiously when she started laughing. Elizabeta looked up, noticing Francis' curious glance. She shook her head, placing her phone on the cushion next to her.

The door opened, revealing Kiku and Matthew. They all shared slight nods and waves of greetings, silently setting up their instruments. Elizabeta sprawled out on the couch, phone on her stomach and eyes glued on the stained ceiling above. Her phone vibrated in her pocket, signalling a new text message. She brought it up above her face, smiling widely as she read the message and continued to do so as she started typing rapidly. This went unnoticed by all of the band except Kiku. He looked inquisitively at her. Elizabeta sat up straight, looking directly at Kiku as she pocketed her phone.

Not even a minute later, Kiku's phone vibrated. He pulled it from his black jeans, warily reading the message from Elizabeta. Not a second later, Kiku started blushing heavily, hastily placing away his phone. Elizabeta laughed behind a hand, pretending to cough lightly.

"Everyone stop panicking, Gilbert's here!" a muffled voice exclaimed. The door to the rehearsal room opened once again, the door slamming against the wall adjacent to it. Gilbert walked in slowly and dramatically, combing a hand through his hair leisurely.

"Suck it losers!" he called out, causing everyone but Alfred to cringe at the volume. Elizabeta rolled her eyes, lying back on the sofa, idly listening to the brief chats and parts of music as the hours went by.

~...~

"Great practice, bros!" Alfred complimented, swiftly packing away his guitar.

"I do not need you to tell me I did awesome; I already know that!" Gilbert asserted, playing a few strings on his black and white bass mindlessly. Francis jumped up from placing his microphone away in it's holder, whistling to gain everyone's attention.

"I forgot to mention this earlier: we are leaving the town in three days to head towards Austin, Texas," he informed. Alfred whooped in excitement while everyone else groaned.

"Texas is awesome! They have the best barbecues." The band groaned again, causing Alfred to pout. "You're all unAmerican..."

"I hate to inform you Alfred-san," Kiku popped in. "none of us but you are American." Alfred waved him off nonchalantly.

Elizabeta, who has been spacing off during the conversation, finally processed the words that were exchanged.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait," Elizabeta interrupted, leaning forward on the couch. "you're all leaving? In three days?"

"Yes, do you not understand English?" Gilbert joked, earning a hard glare from the Hungarian woman. He shrugged, focusing back on his bass.

"You can't leave!" she implored, standing up from the brown couch.

Gilbert laughed, stopping his mindless playing. "I didn't know you'd miss me that much."

"I won't miss you, Beilschmidt. I'm worried for Arthur," Elizabeta explained, showing a hint of worry in her eyes.

"Why are you worried for Arthur-san?" Kiku asked, standing up from placing away his piano in the black bag.

Elizabeta bit her lip before speaking. "First, you must not tell Arthur about anything I will say." The band shared brief glances before there was a deep nod from Alfred. "Well, these few days have been the longest time Arthur has spent with a group of friends in years. He seems grumpy, but he'll be worse when you guys are gone. Sure, he has Feliciano and I, but that's because we force him. It's just..." Elizabeta trailed off, running a hand through her hair. "I want Arthur to become who he once was. You remember Francis? Beilschmidt?"

Francis eyed Elizabeta warily, a dour expression on his face. "You didn't know Arthur when he was in high school," he accused.

Elizabeta gave back her own stern expression to Francis. "I met him at college - the first week to be exact. He told me about you and your trio and many experiences he had. I have my information." Francis backed down, glancing at Gilbert who, in return, rolled his eyes.

"Sorry, princess. We have a concert soon; we can't stay," Gilbert snickered. Elizabeta glared dangerously at Gilbert before looking down at the ground. The room was silent except for the shifting of feet and arms. No one spoke for a few minutes, the air too tense to be broken. That was until Alfred smiled widely, walking up to Elizabeta.

"We can't stop our departure, but we can hang out before we leave! Maybe we can bring back this 'old Arthur'," Alfred suggested, holding his arms wide. Elizabeta raised her eyebrows, tilting her head to the side.

"What's your plan then?"

~...~

_2 days later..._

_Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap_

"Mister Køhler, stop tapping your pencil against the desk."

_Tap tap tap, tap, tap, tap tap tap, tap, tap__, tap tap tap,_

"Do I need to take away your writing utensil, Mister Køhler?"

"Hm?" a wild haired man with deep blue eyes inquired. He glanced down at his pencil that was tapping in a repetitive rhythm against the wooded desk. "Sorry, Mr. K!" He saluted with his pencil, receiving a few laughs from the students.

"It's Professor Kirkland, Køhler. Now pay attention." Arthur walked back to the front of the lecture hall. "Now, as I was saying..."

"Arthur~" a creepy, sadistic voice rang out beyond the wooden door. The professor paused in his lecture, giving the door a speculated look. Arthur turned his head back towards his class, continuing his lecture. That is until the door sprang open, revealing an excited Hungarian woman and a air-headed Italian. A few of the college students snickered, having seen this happen a few times before. Once, it was because Elizabeta wanted Arthur to go to an anime convention (explaining that she wanted to see something called 'yaoi') and another was for some concert for a world famous band that was in town. Every time, their professor gets dragged out of the room, yelling at them about their homework and simultaneously insulting the woman.

Arthur sighed, placing down the book he was carrying. He glared at Elizabeta viciously, ignoring Feliciano who was talking to a few students in the first row of the lecture hall about pasta, art, and Italy.

"Elizabeta," Arthur said, face stolid. "what do you want this time?" Elizabeta smiled wide, pulling Feliciano by his collar so that he stood next to her. Arthur eyed them warily, suspecting many things.

"To take you away from talking about boring stuff to have some real fun!" she exclaimed, earning a few 'Hey!'s from the least entertained students. Arthur sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose lightly. "Don't you sigh at me mister! I've told you how much I hate that," Elizabeta complained, walking towards Arthur. Feliciano followed suit, humming a catchy tune.

"First of all, I won't stop sighing if stopping means that you'll be happy," Arthur said, hearing few 'Burn!'s from the students. "Secondly, I find my job quite fun, except for a few students." Athur glanced in Mathias' direction, causing a few people to chuckle or giggle. Mathias gibed underneath his breath, going unnoticed by everyone except the person next to him. "Thirdly, give me three reasons I should go with you to this place that is supposidly better than the place I'm at right now," Arthur demanded, crossing his arms against his chest. Elizabeta sighed, whistling loud in the direction of the doorway.

"Mon ami~!" Francis greeted, running through the door. Following behind was Gilbert, opening a beer bottle. Arthur seethed, completely pissed.

"The bloody hell are you two doing here?" Arthur asked, eyeing the two curiously.

"We came to 'pick you up'," Francis explain, air quoting the last three words.

"'Pick me up'?" Arthur asked, air quoting what Francis said. "What do you mean by th-" he started, but was unable to finish as he was picked up into the air by Gilbert and Elizabeta. Gilbert grabbed Arthur's arms while Elizabeta grabbed his legs. The lecture hall erupted in laughter at the sight of their professor: Arthur flushed red as a tomato with his eyes wide. No one stood up to stop the crazy intruders, all too busy either laughing or taking pictures - some both.

Put me down this instant! If you don't, I'll give you a good thrashing!"

A blonde haired student stood up from his seat, waving his hand eagerly. "A thrashing, for free?!" he asked, smiling wide. "That sounds jolly!" [_man, who doesn't love the bloopers? Check them out!_]

The class laughed harder. It was so loud that they didn't hear the door close behind the people, nor the continuous strreams of threats from their professor.

"You asshats! Put me down this instant!" Arthur screamed, disrupting all the other classes in the English building. A few professors looked out their door to the scene before closing it once again to hide their laughter from the Briton.

They reached Elizabeta's car, both throwing Arthur into the back seat ungracefully. He was buckled into the seat without protest considering he has no way out of the situation. He uttered underneath his breath about being an Englsihman [or gentleman, whichever floats your boat, I guess]. Elizabeta sat in the driver's seat and Feliciano sat in the passenger. The Italian turned on the radio, bobbing his head in time with the music. Arthur sighed, muttering under his breath

"What are friends?"

~...~

"And I, will always love you~!" Feliciano sang along, playing an invisible guitar. Elizabeta was drumming against the steering wheel along with the song. Arthur, on the other hand, was rubbing his temples furiously while also plugging his ears. If only it was The Who or Pink Floyd. Yeah, that would be nice. If only...

The song stopped when the engine stopped. Feliciano deflated, exiting the car. Elizabeta followed suit, motioning Arthur to do so too. The Briton sighed, reluctantly exiting the safety of the car. He looked around where they parked. He rolled his eyes, expecting no less from the people he was with.

The carnival lights were on. Bright neon colors splashed together, blinding at first sight. The noise of laughter and screaming was audible from the farthest point of the parking lot. Couples and families entered and exited the carnival, either smiling or looking like they were about to puke. A Ferris wheel was in the background, spinning at the slowest speed, but then speeding up as time went by. A roller-coaster was behind it, but not as high. The blur of bodies and moving machines merged together, making everything incoherent.

Arthur sighed, not moving from his spot as Elizabeta walked forward towards the entrance. Feliciano caught sight of the dour Englishman, tilting his head to the side. He skipped towards Arthur, looping his arm through the other's. Arthur protested, but was silenced as Francis and Gilbert walked up, grinning mischievously. Behind them was the rest of the band, talking excitedly. Well, it was basically Alfred yelling out how 'heroic' they were for some reason. How is going to a carnival heroic? Please explain this...

Arthur's questioning was interrupted by Gilbert. "Okay you unawesome people," he started, earning a huff from the Hungarian woman. "Kesese. Anyway, let's split up into groups! It makes the carnival more awesome!" The people split up into groups of two swiftly, pairings very obvious from the begging:

Feliciano and Ludwig, Gilbert and Matthew, Alfred and (an unwilling) Arthur, and... wait... Kiku and Francis...? [_I'm sorry, but there will be no France/Japan relationship..._] Elizabeta stood at the side, not in a group, but she seemed okay with it. Everyone waved goodbye to each other as the entered the carnival, some more enthusiastic than others.

* * *

**_A/N:_**

_Hello! I wish this didn't take me as long as it did. Obviously, school started and the IB Program's a bitch. Too much work! Heheh. Anyway, because of school starting, updates will be fewer, but will be better in quality. _

_So how was it? I wanted to continue the carnival in this chapter, but it would turn out too long... It's already almost 5,000 words and I didn't want to shock you guys or anything. _

_See you all next time. Hopefully I don't die before then...that wouldn't be fun for you guys!_

_**до свидания~! **(__do svidaniya_)


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